Ruminations

BioHacking

"[Aside from "cutting edge" to describe the biohacking currently in vogue in controlled diet plans other] ridiculous words -- energize, vitalize, detox, cleanse [signify] red flags for something that's less than legit."
"Humans can thrive on a huge variety of diets [different, but balanced to meet basic dietary needs and ultimately healthy]."
"[The new biohacking diets promoted with the Silicon Valley descriptives of] enhancing, disrupting, optimizing and upgrading [sound] sciencey [yet lack the legitimacy of science, promoted not by nutritional experts but by individuals focused on biased experimentation]."
Dr. Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair, health law

"People think that dieting causes anorexia, but eating disorders are heavily determined by genetic risk factors."
"[Crash dieting is not] on a continuum [with eating disorders]."
Dr. Blake Woodside, eating disorder program, Toronto General Hospital

"[The diets are] not sustainable, either psychologically or socially [the benefits overblown and risks minimized]."
"There's a lack of randomized trials in humans. And how did the mice [in an experiment] feel while fasting? Nobody asked them!"
"That's the problem with every one of these unsustainable fad diets. It's that people feel like a failure. They're promoted as easy and effective."
"Even if you're not vulnerable [to eating disorders], failure doesn't feel good a all. And it's not just a feeling; it's a self-labelling. I am a failure."
Tanis Fenton, registered dietitian, PhD in epidemiology, Calgary

Is Being A Ketogenic Vegetarian Right For You?

People are fascinated with diets, forever searching for the perfect, fail-safe diet, that will not be too difficult to follow, challenging in its demands, yet result in quick and easy weight loss. It's like the never-ending search for the fountain of youth, in a sense. An elusive goal, the search for the magic ingredient, the failsafe routine, the satisfaction of seeing excess weight drain away, leaving one with the lean, hard configuration associated with youth and vigour.

Diets like the keto diet and others that the term biohacking encapsulates spread by word of mouth and through social media to capture the interest and imagination of the easily led forever on the lookout for magic to replace careful food selection, that essential cut-off of overindulgence, the sheer discipline it takes to eat well but carefully, not too much, avoiding processed food, and seeking out opportunities to make exercise a part of one's daily routine.

Twitter's CEO, Jack Dorsey claims he eats one meal daily; fish or meat, vegetables and sometimes as well small portions of berries, chocolate or wine. Oh, and weekend fasting when only water is acceptable, water with lemon and Himalayan salt. How exotic is that!? How abstemious is that? What a stern protocol for a 42 year-old man. Lean and mean and perhaps that's the personality that leads so many users of his platform to detest him.

Well, it seems that Silicon Valley is rife with CEOs of popular social media sites practising their very own versions of nutrition deprivation in the greater interests of disciplining their bodies to remain youthful and energetic. From those advocating avoiding carbohydrates, and opting for repetition in selecting simple foods and avoiding all others. And others who go days on end without eating.

The CEO of Bulletproof the supplements company explains biohacking as "the art and science of becoming superhuman". And to fill that category personally, buy his edible oils for their "brain-boosting, fat-burning, high-energy fuel" properties.

While claiming as biohackers and extreme fasters that science is on their side, there are no scientific studies whose conclusions can be relied upon to support their diet theories. They cite in defence of their suppositions, observational, not experimental or controlled studies. On the other hand, because they refer to their diets as "cutting-edge", there is no obvious need to go beyond preliminary research, and simply avoid claims of settled science.

In Japan the diet focus is primarily on soy and fish, rarely dairy or fruit, while the Mediterranean region relies upon grains and vegetables and lots of olive oil and wine. Fish, fruit and coconut staples express the Polynesian diet. Regional diets common to their areas for untold generations, all of which are viewed as truly well balanced in providing for essential balance in nutritional needs, and therefore healthy diets.

With fad diets one carefully calibrates food intake; alternately exercising intense discipline for prolonged fasts.

There's a thin line between those diets and disordered eating. A keto "cheat sheet" lists 108 foods to be avoided; deli meats among them, along with starchy vegetables and most fruit. A stark resemblance to these dieters' commitments and those with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) has been noted by food scientists. Restricting food, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association allows patients to feel a "false sense of being in control".

Restrictive diets have the facility to lead people toward eating disorders; particularly those with a genetic disposition to such disorders, according to Dr. Woodside. Diets requiring constant monitoring may lead some into full-blown eating disorders. Disorders that affect men and women differently, where men speak of fitness toward an ascetic ideal, while women feed on their fear of obesity and their sensitivity to body image.

The idea behind keto dieting is to restrict intake of carbohydrates. In so doing vital plant-based sugars are eliminated, and eventually a state of ketosis manifests, with the body seeking an energy source, and finding it in stored body fat, using it for fuel, and that's where the weight loss comes in. It's like the onset of Type 1 diabetes where the body no longer produces insulin to transform food into glucose to feed the brain and body, and this shortage causes it to desperately burn stored body fat; ketones, causing weight loss and a sharp decline in bodily function.

Failing to meet minimal nutrition requirements will see fasting leading to headaches and poor concentration. Dr. Fenton points out the links between keto and constipation, kidney stones and reduced capacity to exercise. As for weight loss, in comparison to traditional, non-extreme diets, keto can produce a loss of an additional one kilogram over a one-year period; nothing to write home about.

"Biohacking is just another way for people to sell you on things that have been around for decades. There are already plenty of people looking into herpes vaccines and CRISPR technology. They’re called ‘medical scientists’ and they have massive labs and enormous amounts of funding dedicated to finding the best ways to improve human life. There are doctors around the world who know infinitely more about the body than most self-described biohackers, and can tell you exactly why taking a daily cocktail of lithium, modafinil, and 15 supplements is a great way to end your life at 40."

"If you want to improve your health, see a doctor. Exercise more. Eat better. Improve your sleep hygiene."

"Just don’t believe the hype." Gid M-K Medium.com